Various state and federal rules and guidelines specify that children of certain ages should be seated in Child Restraint Systems (CRS) or in a booster seat. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children from birth to three years old be positioned in a rear-facing car seat, while children between the ages of one year to seven years be seated in a forward-facing car seat. Booster seats are recommended for children between the ages of four and 12 years. Age variations for these recommendations are due to such factors as height and weight for the individual child.
As a consequence of such safety standards, today's vehicle includes CRS anchors strategically located on one or more of the vehicle's seats. Such anchors are typically positioned in such a way so as to minimize intrusion into the aesthetics of the vehicle interior. As a consequence, rear seat (or lower) CRS anchors are commonly difficult to directly see or access without applying force to compress or displace vehicle seat foam to expose anchors. Thus it can be difficult for consumers to access the anchors to install or remove child seats in the rear seat of a vehicle. The zone-driven location of the anchors in which the position sometimes may additionally be affected by both comfort and styling can lead to a small zone of acceptable anchor placement which is not necessarily ideal for consumer access.
In addition, when anchors are recessed under or behind vehicle seat foam, more effort is needed by the consumer to install the CRS. For example, it can be difficult to attach and detach CRS web strap hooks that engage the anchors for tensioning the child seat to the vehicle seat, compared to an environment in which an anchorage is readily accessible, protruding from the vehicle seat foam or trim. It can be especially difficult to detach a tensioned anchor with limited finger clearance, visibility and a CRS tensioned close to the area of limited accessibility.
Thus today's vehicle designers are challenged to enhance the ease of CRS installation which would, as a consequence, improve compliance with proper seat installation. The solution for improving accessibility to lower child restraint anchorages for parents without affecting seating comfort or anchor performance must be cost-efficient and simple while enhancing customer satisfaction. Importantly, such a solution must aid in overcoming the reality that many CRS are often incorrectly installed and positioned in vehicles.
A simple and consumer-friendly solution to balancing the need for consumer access to CRS anchors with the need for maintaining a vehicle interior design that is free of unattractive functional elements is desired.